Travelling in Turkey

Hello all ... it seems like I have been in Turkey for quite a while now and loving every single moment ... the sights and the sounds and the tastes. The people continue to be absolutely kind and could not be warmer or friendlier ... from Marmaris on the Aegean Sea Wally and I travelled up to Izmir and surroundings. We rented a car,I did not drive as I am such a chicken ... the roads, the mountains which seem never ending and the chances they all take on the roads, not for me. Anyway having a car, much like in Greece, allowed us to get off the beaten track, go for some hot baths and massages one day, walk on the beach another (it was totally empty and pretty rough and to be honest, getting colder and colder every day). We had the car for a week so there were adventures in hotels, people we met ... travellers and hosts ... archeological sights, a wonderful remote lake called Lake Bafa where we pretty much slept and ate with the animals and families as there were very few tourists there. Then we decided to fly to a well known tourist area in Turkey, Cappadochia, a fairy tale wonderland where we hiked and ooed and awed for 5 days. Unfortunately I got food poisoning ... the joys of travelling and eating in restaurants, some rather questionable at best ... and was flat out for nearly 2 days. But Wally made some new friends, Aussies who entertained him for those days. Then we were back onward and upward, literally, today and flew to Istanbul. Today has been spent orienting ourselves to the city, the weather is cooler, much cooler now and I am in jeans, hiking boots, all my warm things including sweat shirt and fleece, which I am glad I have! I wondered why I carted these things around all summer and early fall, now I know. So far Istanbul looks magical, like all of Turkey with the sights, the bazaars and the people. Just stocked up on bottled water and chocolate baclava! More news soon, planning to see Blue Mosque and Aghia Sophia tomorrow and of course, the mighty shopping. How to choose what to buy?